DISCONTENTED WITH THE PRESENT, OR WHAT

THEY HAVE, RAVING AFTER THE FUTURE, OR SOMETHING THEY WANT, AND THEREBY EVER DISPOSED AND DESIROUS TO CHANGE.

Another cause of diftempers in ftates, and difcontents under all governments, is the unequal condition that muft neceffarily fall to the share of fo many and fuch different men that compofe them.-In great multitudes, few in comparison are born to great titles or great eftates; few can be called to public charges and employments of dignity, or power, and few by their industry and conduct arrive at great degrees of wealth and fortune; and every one fpeaks of the fair as his own market goes in it. All are easily satisfied with themselves, and their own merit, though they are not fo with their fortune; and, when they fee others in better condition whom they esteem less deferving, they lay it upon the ill conftitution of things, the partiality or humour of princes, the negligence or corruption of minifters.

The common fort of people who have any leisure to think always find fault with the times, and fome must have reason, for the merchant gains by peace, and the foldier by war; the fhepherd by wet feafons, and the ploughman by dry: when the city fills, the country

grows empty; and while trade increafes in one place, it decays in another.-In fuch variety and courfes of life, men's designs and interests must be oppofite to one another, and both cannot fucceed alike: whether the winner laughs or no, the lofer will complain, and rather than quarrel with himself, will abuse the dice, or those he plays with.-IVhen any body is angry, fome one must be blamed; and those reasons which cannot be remedied, those accidents that could not be prevented, those miscarriages that no one could forefee, will be then laid upon the government, and whether right or wrong, will have the fame effect of aifing or increasing the coMMON and POPULAR DISCONTENTS.

In all ftates there is one univerfal divifion, which is the feparation of the innocent from the criminal; or between fuch as are in fome measure contented with what they poffefs by inheritance, or what they expect from their own abilities, industry, or parfimony; and those who are diffatisfied with what they have, and not trufting to those innocent ways of acquiring more, muft fall to others, and pass from just to unjust, from peaceable to violent.

The firft defire fafety, and to keep what they have; the fecond are content with dangers, in hopes to get

what others legally poffefs: one loves the present state and government, and endeavours to fecure it; the other defires to end this game, and fhuffle for a new one loves fixed laws, and the other an unfettled power; yet the last, when they have gained enough by factions and diforders, by rapine and violence, come then to change their principles with their fortunes, and grow friends to established order and fixed laws.-So the NORMANS of old, when they had divided the spoils of the English lands and poffeffions, grew bold defenders of the common law of the land. So of later days, it was obferved, that CROMWELL's officers in the army, who were the first for burning records, for levelling of lands, while they had none of their own; yet when afterwards they were grown rich and landed men, they fell into the praise of the English laws, and cried up the magna charta as our ancestors had done before with a much better grace.

Could we fuppofe a body politic framed perfect in its first conception or institution; yet, if the administration be ill, ignorant, or corrupt, too rigid, or too remifs, too negligent, or fevere, these may juftly occafion for the prefent fome difcontent.-Yet this is an evil, to which all fublunary things are subject, not only by accident, but even by natural difpofitions, and which can hardly

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hardly be altered.-This it is however that makes t firft and univerfal default of all governments; and th made the philofophers of old, instead of seeking or a cepting the public magiftracies or offices of their cou tries, employ their time and care to improve men's re fons, to temper their affections, to allay their paffion to difcover the vanity, or the pride, and ambition, riches, and power; believing the only way to make the countries happy and free, was to make men wife and goa juft and reasonable.—But as nature will be ever fuperis to art, fo these excellent men have fucceeded but litt in their defign, and left the world just as they found i ever unquiet and unstable.

How can a prince always chufe well fuch as he em ploys, when men's difpofitions are so easily mistaken, an their abilities too? How deceitful are appearances. How falfe are men's profeffions? How hidden are the hearts? How difguifed their principles? How uncer tain their humours?

Many men are good and esteemed when they are pri vate, ill-difpofed and hated when in office; honeft ar contented when they are poor, covetous and violen when they grow rich: they are bold one day, and ca tious another; active at one time of their lives, and lazy

the

the reft; fometimes purfue their ambition, and fometimes their pleasure; nay, among foldiers, fome are brave one day, and cowards another, as great captains have related on their own experience and obfervation. Gravity often paffes for wifdom, wit for ability; what men fay for what they think, and boldness of talk, for boldness of beart.-Nothing is fo commonly mistaken as vulgar opinion; and many men come out, when they come into great and public employments, the weakness of whofe heads or hearts would never have been discovered, if they had kept within their private sphere of life.

Befides, princes cannot run into every corner of their dominions, to look out for perfons fit for the service of the public: they cannot fee' far with their own eyes, nor hear with their ears; and muft for the most part do both with thofe of other men, or else chufe among such smaller numbers as are most in their way; and these are fuch, generally, as make their court, or give their attendance, in order to advance themselves to honours, to fortunes, to places, and employments; and are usually the leaft worthy of them, and better fervants to themselves than the government.-The needy, the ambitious, the half-witted, the proud, the covetous, are ever reflefs to get into public employments,